Photo By Ray Calef | The 203rd Transportation Company hosted a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for their new...... read more read more
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ARDEN HILLS, Minn.- A ribbon cutting ceremony for a new Army Reserve Center was held in Arden Hills, Nov. 19, providing a state-of-the-art facility for the 203rd Transportation Company (Inland Cargo).
Community leaders, including Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., and Army Reserve personnel, were on hand for the event which included an Army Community Covenant signing.
“The ceremony provided an excellent opportunity for the Army Reserve to develop a partnership and work more closely with the state of Minnesota and Arden Hills community,” said Col. Glenn Kolin, assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) in Des Moines, Iowa. “The covenant reaffirms the bond between the military and the local community.”
Covenant signers included Congresswoman McCollum, Arden Hills Mayor David Grant, Ramsey County Sheriff Matt Bostrom, Lake Johanna Fire Department Fire Chief Tim Boehlke, Capt. Wojciech Zajac from the Minneapolis Army Recruiting Battalion, Army Reserve Ambassador Tom Haugo, Army Reserve leaders from the 203rd Transportation Company, and the 203rd’s higher headquarters: the 457th Transportation Battalion, Fort Snelling, Minn.; the 644th Regional Support Group, Fort Snelling, Minn.; and the 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), Des Moines, Iowa.
McCollum spoke highly of the new facility. “It’s fantastic. It’s also an opportunity for the Army Reserve to bring civilians and Soldiers together. It is a significant asset to both the Army and the community,” she said.
The facility is so new, some finishing touches were still being done hours prior to the ceremony. It houses a weapons simulator, as well as a workout room, numerous offices, a computer lab, and a gymnasium.
Sgt. William Dullea, who joined the unit nearly a year ago, was pleased at the result of all of the hard work to facilitate the new building. “Amazing, big, it’s everything we need. You don’t have to go to another building to do training, and it has a huge parking lot. Plus, everything is solar.”
The “solar” refers to solar panels which are estimated to save the Army $12,000 a year in power costs.
Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Koszuta, Command Sergeant Major, 88th Regional Support Command, Fort McCoy, Wis., explained the process that brought the facility to Arden Hills. “The Commander of the 88th, Maj. Gen. Glenn Lesniak, oversees the Department of Public Works,” he said. “That means that we are the landlords of the base operations including lights, land and water. This facility is a part of the Grow the Army campaign, which is essentially the downsizing of the ‘Big Army.’”
The Grow the Army program is a transformation and restationing initiative of the United States Army, which was announced in 2007 and scheduled to be completed by fiscal year 2013. Now that the Army Reserve has transformed from a Strategic Reserve to an Operational Reserve, the Grow the Army project will ensure that force capabilities are balanced in accordance with the Secretary of Defense’s guidance.
“In order to meet the demands, the Grow the Army initiative was enacted. Minnesotans and Congresswoman McCollum answered the Army’s call and the 203rd Transportation Company was born,” said Kolin.
The 203rd Transportation Company activated, Sept. 16, 2010, in Arden Hills, Minn. The unit is responsible for loading and transferring cargo at air, rail and truck terminals.
The new facility will enable the 203rd Transportation Company to maintain a high level of readiness in order to perform their mission. “Just from a storage and maintenance standpoint, it gives us more capabilities,” said Chief Warrant Officer Two Robert Theobald, commander of the 203rd Transportation Company. “It addresses all of our training needs and beyond. We have room to expand and incorporate whatever the Army might throw at us.”
The new building also provides additional benefits. Koszuta said the Reserve Center was made to make the unit to feel comfortable. “With their weapons simulator and workout facility, it will be a great recruiting and retention tool for them,” he said.
About 150 soldiers are currently assigned to the 203rd, up from 30 a year ago. “This great facility will do well for the soldiers, and what they face in the future,” said Kolin.
| Date Taken: | 11.30.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 11.30.2011 15:28 |
| Story ID: | 80732 |
| Location: | ARDEN HILLS, MN, US |
| Web Views: | 465 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
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